Teacher's Pet
by findingmymuse
Summary: Ren had never been in love before, and she wasn't even sure she was now, all she knew was that she was crushing hard...on her teacher. Jacob had trouble staying away from a student, but knew it was for the best. And Seth? Well, he was caught in the middle
1. First Sight

_Author's Note: This is my first all human Twilight story so bare with me :) _

* * *

"I can't believe Miss Darwin quit!" My best friend, Bella Swan, said angrily as we looked over our schedules again. Her brown eyes were furious and I had to remind myself that she was just taking this personal like she usually did when it came to anything academic and she wasn't actually mad at me.

It was the first day of our senior year and although most people would be excited, Bella was only focused on the negative as usual. She may be a little bit of a downer most of the time but when you get to know her like I do you'll know that she is just serious about her studies. She's the depressed yin to my happy bubbly yang and the best friend I could ever ask for.

"She wasn't even that good of a teacher." I said rationally, trying to calm down the pale brunette beside me.

"I know, but she was the only teacher qualified to teach Anatomy and Physiology for college credit, Rennie." Bella continued on sulkily even though she used my nickname so I knew that she wasn't that upset about it. My name is Renesme Carlie Mason, but most people call me Ren. (I don't know what my parents were thinking; you try having every substitute call you 'Rennasmeee?' and see how much you like it).

I rolled my eyes at her dramatically. "Listen Bells, I get that you want to graduate with as many college hours under your belt, but not taking one class isn't going to kill you." I spotted my twin across the lawn and smiled, knowing that it would cheer my whiny best friend up. "Hey, Edward's looking over here." I said with a giggle as she spun her head around to see him.

He had already crossed the school yard and wrapped his arms around Bella's waist. He asked her out pretty much the moment he saw her despite everyone's objections (trust me, the boy was obsessed and/or in love, I had yet to decide which). A lot of people thought my best friend from California wasn't pretty enough to be with the star pitcher.

Edward Anthony Mason was what girls at this school called "hot." Being his nearly identical twin sister, I find this hard to believe. For one, he's my brother so it's weird to even think of him as a male, and two, I looked a lot like him and guys weren't lined up for me the way that girls were for him. We have the same bronze curly hair, fair complexion, and crooked smiles. The only physical differences, other than anatomy ones, are the fact that I have deep brown eyes and he has green ones.

But apparently it's enough of a difference to affect my love life. The only guys interested in me are Nauhel Creeper, who's name speaks for itself, and my ex-boyfriend Quil Ateara. He was a little immature and loud at times, but I didn't mind that much and we managed to stay together during all of junior year. He was my whole world and we planned on going to college together next fall. The only problem was that he decided over the summer that I wasn't the girl for him. I saw him this morning with his hands all over his new girlfriend Claire Waters.

Needless to say, boys are the last thing on my mind.

"I missed you." Edward said seductively in Bella's ear and I faked a gag. I did _not _want to listen to them being all lovey dovey all morning. I waved my goodbyes to Bella before heading off to see if any of my other friends had arrived yet.

"Ren! Over here!" I heard Alice Brandon yell. The short dark haired girl was beaming at me from the arms of her fiance Jasper Whitlock. Though it was still hush-hush, pretty much everyone knew that the two of them were getting married. Not many people were in the know like I was, though, so they didn't know that the promise ring she wore proudly was actually an engagement one.

"Hey there Alice." I said to my energetic friend since third grade, then turned to her future husband, "hi Jasper."

"Hello Renesme." Jasper said politely. We had never been really close, but I knew that it was only because he was shy. Jazz only ever spoke a lot around either Alice or his best friend Emmett Cullen.

"Oh my gosh, Alice, I can't believe you cut your hair!" Rosalie Hale screamed when she came into view. She was yelling from the passanger side of Emmett's red Corvette on the other side of the school yard but I would recognize her voice anywhere. They made their way towards us as I turned my attention back on my other friends.

Alice blushed scarlet as she twirled a piece of her now short black hair. It was hard to remember that only yesterday it had been almost as long as mine. "Told you she'd notice." She said smugly to me, her hazel eyes met Jazz's baby blue ones and she grinned.

"I don't know how you always know everyone's reactions." I complained teasingly. I turned to Jasper and explained, "Allie told me yesterday when we were at the hair salon that Rose would freak out."

"That's simply Alice." Jasper said adoringly.

"You cut off all of your hair!" Rosalie said angrily as she came to a stop in front of our little group. "How could you!" She said with a pout, her aqua blue eyes glittering with fake tears. "I'm never going to speak to you again if you don't tell me why you cut off all of your beautiful hair!" Rose threatened half-seriously.

"Chillax, Rose. I just felt like a change since I'm a senior and things are about to change." Alice said calmly. "I donated it to Locks of Love so little kids with cancer could have hair as pretty as mine." She explained.

"Oh, wow, Allie. That's so sweet." Rosalie said, totally forgiving her best friend. "I wonder if I should cut mine then too?" She asked, but we all knew she would never do it. Rose's long blonde hair was a part of her as much as Alice's wardrobe was a part of hers.

"Nah, babe you look hot with your golden locks." Emmett complimented...in his own way. Rose beamed at him though because she was just that shallow.

"Maybe you should cut yours, Ren." Alice tried to persuade me again. She had made a huge case at the hair salon yesterday, but I hadn't bought it then and I wasn't buying it now. "Think of how many wigs they could make from your ringlets!"

"It just doesn't feel right." I said quietly, knowing everyone's eyes were on me. Usually I was good at fading into the background, but today I seemed to be everyone's focus.

Suddenly, the warning bell sounded overhead and I took that as my cue to leave. "I'm gonna head to class." I said, saved by the bell.

"But you still have five minutes!" Emmett said teasingly. "I forgot that Little Red is a goody-too-shoes now." He smirked at me, but I just ignored him. Was it really my fault that Bella's serious towards school attitude had rubbed off? Frankly, they should be following my example. I know that Emmett especially should if he wanted to keep his baseball scholarship.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, waving goodbye to Jasper and the girls while sticking my tongue out at Emmett. He was like a big brother to me in ways that Edward wasn't. Sure, Ed had the protective part down, but Emmett had the playful teasing that I didn't get to experience with my twin.

When I got to class, there was only one person already there so I tried to move past him to the seat in the middle where I planned to claim as my own. He looked almost confused, staring at the front row of seats as if he was going to sit there and then looking at the ones in the far back instead. I couldn't help but giggle at the new kid.

"Most teachers don't care that much about where you sit." I advised as I passed him. My voice brought him out of his thoughts and suddenly he was staring at me intently. Those warm brown eyes drew me in like a fly to a buzz zapper; I was frozen in my spot, afraid to move and break the trance. "H-i." I said lamely, blushing furiously at my awkwardness. But the teenager only smiled, the russett skin around his lips pulling into a breathtaking grin.

"Hi." He said back, sounding like he was teasing me but there was a genuine warmth in his eyes still.

"I'm Renesme." I said, trying to play it cool. I had never gotten a crush this quickly and it startled me that I was this attracted to him already and I didn't even know his name. This is usually when I start babbling, and right on cue, I did. "Renesme Mason, actually, but my friends call me Ren or Rennie. You can call me it if you want." I went on, trying to ignore the hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"And you are...?" I asked, dying to know who this beautiful soul was. "I know just about everyone in town and I haven't seen you around Forks."

"Jacob Black." He said nervously and a shiver shot down my back. This didn't go on unnoticed by him and I could tell he was getting uncomfortable. He glanced at the door just as Leah Clearwater was walking through the door.

"Who are you?" Leah asked, giving me a scrunched up look before turning back to Jacob. We had been rivals for as long as I can remember, though as to why is still unknown. She smiled warmly at him though and I wanted to claim my territory. He was mine; I saw him first. She could find her own new kid, this one was off limits.

"I'm Mr. Black, your new chemistry teacher." Jacob said and my heart plummeted.

I had a crush on my_ teacher_? Oh, kill me now.


	2. An Idea

I sat in first period with a saddened heart for the next month. My perfect boy was not even a boy at all; he was definitely a man alright. He just happened to be my new Chemistry teacher. It was difficult to concentrate on the learning material when it was presented by someone so irresistible.

Though, from starring at him from the corner of my eye all class period, I deducted he couldn't be more than twenty-five. My best guess, and the fact that he seemed to have young scruff instead of a full out beard like most older guys, was that he was early twenties, maybe twenty three at the most. That wasn't that illegal when you think about it.

Okay, okay, so technically I was seventeen and this was fifty kinds of illegal, but I couldn't help it. There was no law that could stop my heart from feeling this deeply about someone as wonderful as Jacob Black. Besides, my birthday was in a month and then it would be perfectly legal; minus the whole he's a teacher so it could get him fired thing of course.

Why couldn't he have been a transfer student like I first thought! Curse the day that someone wrote a law forbidding us from being together. All I wanted to do was kiss those perfect lips and run my hands through his short russet brown hair until he told me he loved me. I know that our love could withstand all of the rumors that this little town could start, and maybe he would run away with me so none of it would matter except the fact that he was with me and we were together.

Not that he even likes me, so I'm probably getting _way_ ahead of myself, as per usual. But there were clues that he felt the connection too; I know it wasn't my imagination this time.

Like the fact that he told me his first name when he addressed the rest of the class later as "Mr. Black." That had to mean something, right? Or what about the fact that he refused to look me in the eye during the entire class period? He purposely went out of my way to not look in my direction even when Seth Clearwater, Leah's genius junior brother and my lab partner, raised his hand. There was a twinge of a blush (I think) on his cheeks when he was forced to make eye contact with Seth and accidentally saw me too.

This was too strong of a connection to not notice it too. But that's the problem. He's my teacher and I'm just an average student in a long line of students he'll be teaching over the years. I'll graduate at the end of the year and leave his class with nothing but an education in all things chemistry.

"...Ren, earth to Ren!" Seth said teasingly. I snapped out of my trance and glared playfully at my lab partner. "Thought I had lost you up in Cloud Nine for a minute there." He smiled warmly at me and I grinned in return. This was why I couldn't hate Leah completely; because her brother was freakin' awesome. He always knew how to put a smile on my face even when I was upset.

"Nah, I just don't get chemistry." I said truthfully. But I wasn't talking about the subject like Seth thought.

"Well it's really easy once you get the hang of it." Seth said lightly. "Maybe I could tutor you?" He offered with a tiny blush.

"That'd be great, Seth." I said half-heartedly. That did give me an idea though, I needed a tutor; and who better to teach then the teacher himself? I thought wryly. I had found my loophole around wanting to see Jacob one-on-one and not wanting to seem completely desperate like I truly was. From what I heard, he had already helped Sam Uley with conversions and it was only the first month of school.

The bell rang overhead but instead of lingering in first period like I usually did so I could stare at Jacob for a few more seconds, I rushed to second to tell Bella my new idea. I had told her everything about my crush ("obsession") with "Mr. Black" and she seemed totally supportive, minus the whole "I can't believe you'd even think about a teacher that way" thing from our first conversation about him.

"I need a tutor." I said excitedly as I took my seat beside her in Honors English class.

"And this is good news because...?" My best friend prompted as she shuffled through her binder trying to find last night's assignments.

"Because I need a tutor in Chemistry. A little one-on-one with my teacher oughta learn me anything I'm not familiar with." I said with a whole-hearted grin. "Genius, no?"

"No." She said discouragingly, pulling out her crinkled notebook paper and smoothing it out.

"What? I thought you were on my side!" I whisper-yelled now that there were other students in the room.

"I was on your side when I thought it was just a crush that would pass." Bella explained as best she could. "This obsession is starting to get real and I worry about you, Ren. It's just not healthy to be thinking of him that way."

"I told you from the beginning that this wasn't just a crush." I said angrily. "I care deeply about him, Bells, you of all people should know that I don't joke about stuff like that."

"Well, Edward and I were talking and..." Bella started to say but I cut her off.

"You talked to my _brother_ about this!" I asked in disbelief. "Some friend you are; and to think, I considered you my_ best_ friend."

"I am your best friend." Bella said, sounding hurt. Good. She deserved it.

"Not anymore." I said angrily. I turned my back on her as soon as Mrs. Haltom walked through the door to start class and continued to avoid her hurt gaze during the entire class period. I knew that I'd hear about this later from my twin but right now I didn't care. I just wanted to be mad at the one person that was supposed to be on my side no matter what. Besides, she was the one being insensitive, not me.


	3. My Tutor

"...but I'm sure things will get better." A beautiful voice that I had come to recognize over the past month said gently to someone as I headed to Chemistry after seventh period.

"Escuse me?" I said lightly, trying not to glare when I saw Leah alone with Jacob after school.

Leah looked up, wiping tears from her eyes urgently when she noticed who it was, and turned to Jacob. "...thank you" was all she said before she gathered her books and made to leave.

"Don't be afraid to talk to someone about this." Jacob said as a final gesture, earning himself a small smile from my archenemy. I tried to hide my jealousy as Leah past by me and headed to the parking lot.

Once we were alone, Jacob seemed to need to organize his desk right that second because he started rearranging the papers and quizes on his desk as if that was his goal in life.

"What brings you in here, Renesme?" He asked once he was focused on anything me.

"I don't understand what you're teaching in class right now." I started off, using the prerehearsed speech I had come up with.

"I'm sorry about that, but I can't help you with your grades. It isn't fair to the other students." Jacob said, still not making eye contact with me even though I had moved to just the right of his desk.

"Oh, I would never ask you to buffer my grades." I said in a rush. I was thrown for a loop because this wasn't how I planned this going. "I just, uh, think I need a little extra help so I can understand it better." That oughta do it.

"You mean a tutor?" He asked dumbly. "I'm sure one of our top students wouldn't mind helping you out..." He started searching through his papers again and I wanted to scream. This was not how I wanted this to happen. I had to get him back on track.

"I know they wouldn't, but I was thinking more of...you teaching me it?" I said hesitantly. This was the make or break moment. "Who better to teach than the teacher?" I added, making up stuff as I went. "I just can't seem to focus with all the other students around. I had never been good at multitasking and since Chemistry is math and science, I just need some time to focus better."

"I'm just not sure I can teach you any better outside of the classroom." Jacob said, careful not to look me in the eye but I could still see the lie in it.

"Oh, it's alright." I bluffed, finally catching on to why he was refusing. He did have feelings for me. "If I fail, I'm sure an extra year with you would be beneficial."

"You couldn't fail just by not passing this class, could you?" He asked half-panicked, finally looking at me with his warm brown eyes. I don't know what he was more afraid of; being alone with me for tutoring for one year or having me in class for two.

"I'm borderline in most of my other classes." I half lied. Truth was, I was a good student when I tried but I knew how easily it would be to revert back to my former C+ days now that Bella and I weren't on speaking terms.

"I'm sure I can make time to keep your grade up in this class, as long as you promise to work on your other classes as well." Jacob said in a deep voice trying to sound like the teacher he was.

I smiled hugely at him, accidentally forgetting our roles as I rushed to give him an excited hug. He stiffened up in my brief hold, but I swear I thought I felt him inhaling deeply as if smelling me. That's odd. He pushed me away just as quickly as our hug happened, but I didn't care. He had held me in his arms and that was enough for now.

"You can't hug me, Renesme." Jacob said sternly, a faint blush gracing his dark cheeks. I nodded to please him, but he and I both knew that there was something between us; and I wasn't going to let this go until I found out what it was.

"I know, _Mr. Black._" I said, enunciating his name to see his reaction. He looked almost hurt, but that could have been my imagination too. I think I thought I saw what I wanted to see sometimes.

"I'll, uh, have to look at my schedule to see when your tutoring can begin." Jacob said, breaking eye contact with me for the first time since I hugged him. Now he looked nervous, great. How was he supposed to fall in love with me when he refused to look at me? I had my work cut out for me.

"What about today?" I asked, trying not to hide my disappointment. Was it completely selfish to want him all to myself? I didn't think so.

"Oh, uh," he stuttered beautifully, shuffling papers around. "I have to visit my father in the hospital."

I smiled widely. "At the Hospital here in Forks or the one in Port Angeles?" I asked, hoping that it was the one in town because then I could switch my Candy Striping day with Emily Waterfall to today when she usually had her shift.

"Forks General." Jacob replied gruffly, trying to sound like he was too busy to answer my questions. "I'm already late actually, so if you don't mind locking the door when you leave that'd be great."

I smiled widely, I didn't mind at all.


	4. Billy Black

I arrived at the hospital before Jacob did. I know this because I was watching for him as I did my rounds.

Being a Candy Striper was really easy, especially when I was in the children's ward trying to cheer up little kids with colds. Plus, the outfits were super cute; not too short, not too long, the pink and white striped gown was totally adorable. And the little headband and matching kneehigh socks weren't half bad either. The only thing I didn't like was the plain white nurse shoes...so I replaced the boring laces with hot pink ones instead.

The only floor that I hated was the cancer ward because most of the people were close to death and it was hard to get any of them to crack a smile. The children especially were terrible to deal with because they were in immence pain that me singing wouldn't solve. But that's where I was today because that's where William Black was signed in at.

I was cheering up Billy when Jacob came in to visit his father. Or rather, Billy was cheering me up it seemed. The man had a natural ability to be happy that I had never seen in anyone else, especially someone this sick.

"Jake, you gotta meet this girl." Billy said, motioning for me to introduce myself. "She's the best Striper I've ever seen."

"Hi, I'm Rennie." I said, not letting on that I knew him as my teacher. Maybe this was what we needed; a new beginning. I know it makes him uncomfortable being at school with me because then he puts us in student/teacher roles, but maybe outside of school we could be ourselves.

When Jacob made no move to either introduce himself or expose me as his student, Billy huffed. "This is my son Jacob. He's a bit shy around pretty girls like yourself." Billy said with a wink to me.

"Why thank you, Mr. Black." I said with a grin and a glance at Jacob. He just continued staring at me blankly.

"Now, none of that, Missy. Mr. Black was my father, I'm Billy." The old man said with a smile. I liked him a lot, especially since he was the one who gave Jacob his beautiful smile.

"Alright, Billy, how are you feeling today?" I asked, sitting on the edge of his bed so I could dangle my feet off the end.

"I'd feel a lot better if you would come sit next to me." He teased. I was used to Billy after the last hour of monitoring him. My shift ended twenty minutes ago, but I was waiting for Jacob and Billy was good company. For an older guy going through kemo, he sure had a lot of life left in him.

"I would," I teased right back, "but I think it might make a couple of the nurses jealous."

"So tell me, Ren, how old are you?" He asked, giving Jacob a strange look. "You remind me so much of my young Sarah."

I really hoped that Sarah was his wife and not his daughter. That would be just what Jacob needed, another reason not to like me. I could imagine it now and if I reminded him of his sister I might just kill myself.

"I'll be eighteen in less than a month." I said, hoping that Jacob was listening. I couldn't be quite sure because my back was partially to him. I pulled my curly bronze hair to the side so I could see him out of the corner of my eye. "I'm gonna be graduating shortly."

The room got silent for a few minutes as no one knew what to say. Billy looked thoughtful, glancing quickly between the two of us for a good minute before he spoke up.

"You wouldn't mind humoring a sick, dying man, would you?" Billy asked. We all knew he was playing the sick card, but no one said anything about his dramatics.

"Of course not, Billy." I said with a laugh, eagar to show Jacob that I was loyal and whatever else he wanted in a girl.

"Come on as my personal Candy Striper." Billy said seriously. "I'm getting released tomorrow and Jake is always so busy with his work that I'll need someone to come over and take care of me until I kick the bucket."

"Dad, you're not going to die." Jacob said, speaking up for the first time since he got here. I could tell he didn't want me to agree to the deal, but my mind was already made up.

"I'm in Stage Three system failure, son." Billy said and I tried to hide my surprise. Usually someone this close to death looked like it. Billy was a picture of heath and a happy life. "I'm realistic about my time left."

"Shouldn't you be getting an in home nurse then and not a Candy Striper? She can't even administer your medicines." Jacob said stubbornly.

"I have a nurse already set up." Billy said just as stubbornly. "I just need someone to keep me company and keep my spirits high."

"You're spirits are high enough." Jacob said half to himself.

"I'll do it." I agreed, looking at Billy with a smile before glaring at Jacob. Why did he have to be so difficult about this? Why was he fighting us getting together so much?

"Thank you, Rennie." Billy said gratefully, giving his son a dirty look as well. "I'm sure things are going to get better once you're at our house. We need a woman's touch around there."

"She's not a woman, she's just a child!" Jacob blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I'm almost an adult." I said truthfully, glaring at Jacob again. "Besides, girls at thirteen are considered completely grown and ready to be brides in other countries."

I looked at my watch and decided that I had had enough of my teacher's sass. "I'm sorry Billy, but I have to get home. School night and everything." I muttered the last part angrily because that was how Jacob still saw me.

He handed me a slip of paper as I got up. "It's my home phone. Call tomorrow and we'll set up your schedule."

"Alright." I said, stuffing the paper in my pocket and slipping on my jacket. "Have a good evening, Billy."


	5. Half Truths

When I came home, my family was waiting to ambush me. Well, mostly it was just Edward who looked like he wanted to kill me, but Mom and Dad were there too as well as my thirteen year old adopted little sister Melody.

"Ren, we have something we would like to talk with you about." My father, Dr. Carlisle Mason, said as I tried to sneak past the living room and go to my room.

"Okay, Daddy." I said, knowing there was no way out of this.

I knew Bella had told Edward and that he had ratted me out to my parents as soon as I saw the look on his face.

"I-" He started to say but I cut him off.

"I know what you're gonna say, so save it." I told my twin before he could fake apologize and try to sound like he wasn't the bad guy and it was only for my own good.

"Renesme, this isn't healthy to be thinking about a teacher like that." My mom, the brilliant author Esme Golden (her maiden name as well as the name she wrote under), said. She sounded so much like a shrink that I sometimes wondered why she didn't do that instead. She would make a great psychiatrist from all the practice she had dealing with me growing up.

"I know it's not, Momma." I said. "But I can't help it."

"He's a lot older than you, honey." Dad said but I could see that he saw the hypocriteness in his words as well.

"So? You are twelve years older than Mom." I said honestly. "And Jacob is only five years older than me." I said, roughly estimating his age.

"But Mr. Black is your teacher." Mom said gently. "That's a big difference, honey."

"I know, and I don't really think I like him anymore." I said, trying to get a reaction out of them with my next words. "His dad is kinda hot though..." I lied, trying not to smirk when Edward jumped up and looked like he was about to smack some sense into me.

"Renesme Carlie Mason, what has gotten into you lately?" Edward asked frantically.

"Nothing, maybe I'm just bored, or maybe I want attention, I don't know." I said, throwing my hands in the air dramatically.

"Maybe it would be better if you went to live with Uncle Aro for a little bit." Dad said lightly, though he was serious by his tone.

"What? You can't be serious!" I asked panickly. My Uncle Aro and his wife Jane were horrible people. The only people I detested more than them were their sons Marcus and Alec. Nothing about the Volturi family was pleasant, not even their dog Cauius.

"Well, you are forcing my hand." Dad said, trying to sound like it was the only option. "Your grades are slipping, you can't seem to keep a job other than Candy Striping, and you haven't had a boyfriend in such a long time that you've deluded yourself into thinking that your teacher is a suitable partner. It isn't healthy, Ren."

"But..." I knew that this was a lost cause, so I sat quietly as tears rolled down my cheeks. And here I thought that my idea was going to work, especially now that Billy had offered me a part time job.

"I'm trying to bring my grades up." I said quietly. "I have a tutor now."

"Your teacher?" Dad prompted and I nodded slowly.

"But Seth offered to help me if I started struggling so maybe I could have him tutor me instead?" I suggested, not wanting to give up any time with Jacob but knowing that I was getting shipped to Maine otherwise.

"The Clearwater boy?" Mom asked with a smile. "He was always smitten with Ren and I know from what Sue says that he's bright." She said to my father. "Maybe we should give this a chance."

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" I said happily. Anything to get out of Uncle Aro's. "You won't regret this, I promise!"

"I hope not." Dad said. "Now, about your job, I know you like working at the hospital but you need to focus on an actual career. Vollenteer work looks good on college resumes but it's not going to help pay your tuition any."

"Ren is gonna be a good doctor, huh, Daddy?" Melody asked sweetly, inturupting our conversation at a much needed moment. Whenever we started talking money, it tended to get really stressful at our house.

"I know, Dad, that's why I asked Mrs. Demitris if there was anyone in need of a personal caretaker." I half lied, thinking of Billy again. Maybe my alone time with Jacob wasn't completely lost. "There's this old man with cancer and he's really down in the dumps about it, but the hospital is releasing him so he won't have anyone to visit him. I was supposed to ask you guys tonight but you kinda ambushed me first..."

"Well that sounds nice." Mom said helpfully. "What's his name? Have you met him? You know, some people aren't that nice when they're in that much pain, sweetie, maybe you should hold off and wait for a different patient."

"I met him today. His name is Billy. He's really sweet, just in need of some company a few days a week." I said honestly. "He actually asked for me personally so I think I made a good impression. I promise I won't let it get in the way of my school work."

"What about Bella? You really hurt her feelings." Edward said, sticking up for his girlfriend and my former best friend.

"I'll apologize." I said sincerly. "I didn't mean to snap at her. I'm over Mr. Black now that I realize what it's doing to my friendships."

If only that were true. I still missed him every second we weren't together and wanted desperately for him to realize his love for me.


	6. Falling Into Place

"Today, class, we will be learning about chemical equations..." Jacob said but was interrupted by booing from most of the boys. Seth sat up straighter in his chair and smiled at me.

"This stuff is so easy." He whispered with another grin. "I can help you if you want."

"Thanks, I'm in need of a tutor actually." I said, knowing that he had to be my tutor from now on despite my objections. Seth was a nice kid, but I hated having to give up my alone time with Jacob. But a deal was a deal and there was no way I was going to live with Uncle Aro now that Jacob was in the picture.

Seth beamed at the idea of us spending some time alone together and I had to fight back a grin as well. Despite everything, Seth always had the ability to make me smile. That made having him my tutor a lot easier. It could be worse; I could have his sister Leah as my tutor.

"...despite what you've heard about chemical equations, they aren't that hard." Jacob continued in his best teacher voice. He was careful not to look at me but when Seth vollenteered to do an example problem, he had no choice.

There was something in Jacob's eyes that I just couldn't resist. He looked hurt yet at the same time he was intrigued. Of what, I'm not sure.

By the time Seth got back from the board, the bell had rung. I guess these problems weren't as easy as they thought.

I stopped at Jacob's desk on my way out and told him that Seth had offered to tutor me so he was off the hook. I'm not sure if he looked relieved or upset, but for once I didn't think too much of it. Right now, I had to go make things up with Bella if my plan was going to work.

I got to see Jacob in his home environment when I was cheering up Billy as long as I 1) kept my grades up and 2) mended my friendship with my ex-best friend/my twin's girlfriend. I'm not sure which one is going to be harder at this point.

I took my seat in English next to Bella and smiled at her for the first time since our fight. She smiled back weakly, but I could see that she would forgive me by time our Bellringers were done.

It had been a whole week, but I had needed the weekend to finish getting all of the information I needed from Billy about his care. I would visit him on school nights, mostly in the afternoon, and he would pay me at the end of the week. Mom loved the idea, and even seemed to take a shining to Billy as well when she called him to make sure he wasn't a lunatic. (Luckily, he didn't mention his son or I would be dead right now.)

I was going to start today, much to my pleasure.

"I'm sorry, Bells." I whispered as Mrs. Haltom passed back graded papers, her tiny heels clicking rapidly as she moved.

"For what?" The brunette asked stubbornly, like I knew she would, and continued to write her Bellringer.

"For being a jerk and for being so stupid." I half-lied. "I don't know why I liked him in the first place. It was dumb and childish and I'm so sorry I let it get in the way of our friendship."

"You mean it?" Bella asked, turning her head so I could see the forgiveness in her warm brown eyes.

"Why would I lie about something like this?" I asked. "Besides, who am I going to gossip with? You know Alice only thinks about shopping and Rose can't keep up a conversation unless it's focused on her." I said with a giggle, trying not to catch the attention of the other students.

"Glad to have you back, Ren." Bella said with a grin. "So do you wanna hang out with me and Edward later?"

"I would love to. You and me have a lot to catch up on." I said and almost forgot that our teacher was there until she corrected my grammer subconsciously.

"You and I." Mrs. Haltom said, handing me back a graded quiz. Ouch. I didn't know that The Crucible had been that hard of a play, but apparently I didn't grasp the concept completely.

Bella giggled next to me and looked at her own perfect paper. "So what about it?" She asked. "Meet us in the car after school?"

I was about to agree when I remembered Billy. "I can't this afternoon." I said. "I figured Ed would have told you about my new job."

Bella frowned, but nodded. "I almost forgot about cancer guy." She said and I laughed.

"Is that what my brother calls him?" I asked in disbelief. My brother was always teasing me about being insinsitive about people that I nicknamed; like Mrs. Hander in the deli section at Big Star who I called Hamburger behind her back or this guy in Art class that some people call Piggy because I mentioned it once to Embry that I thought that he looked like the guy from Lord of the Flies.

Bella blushed beat red, but nodded. My brother was so dead for this one, I thought with a smirk.

"We'll hang out tonight, I promise." I said, knowing that her father Charlie didn't care what time she got home as long as she wasn't pregnant or on drugs. Neither was likely for this cop's daughter.

"Maybe catch a midnight movie?" I suggested hopefully. We hadn't had a movie night in ages and even though the two were now a couple, it wouldn't be the same without all three of us. We had been labeled the "Three Musketeers" by my sister Melody and it was pretty much true until the whole Jacob mess started.

Bella nodded, but continued to scribble her work down before Mrs. Haltom took the powerpoint off.

And just like that, things were falling into place for me again.


	7. Day One

**AN: For the record, I know nothing about medical training or cancer or pretty much anything that has to do with Billy & Renesme's sessions, so just pretend for my sake that half this stuff could happen in real life. Thanks lol. **

* * *

I stood outside Billy's house for I don't know how long before I finally pulled myself together. I had decided to change out of my school clothes, but I didn't want to seem desperate to seduce Jacob (in case he were here) and not to improfessional (in case Billy decided to fire me), so I just went with jeans and a baby blue t-shirt that brought out the red in my hair.

When I knocked on the door, I heard a faint, "it's open!" over the tv so I let myself in.

The place wasn't too shabby. Though it was small, it was charming and had a lived in feel that my state-of-the-art mansion didn't. I bet Jacob loved living in this house as a kid. There were pictures everywhere on the walls and I wondered who the girls in them were. Twins from the looks of it, with identical smiles and the same dark hair as Jacob, but they seemed much older than my crush. Judging from the pictures, the should be at least thirty or so now.

I spotted massive furniture and an even bigger tv as I made my way out of the hall and into the living room. Billy sat in the blue recliner while the back of someone's head reached over the top of love seat.

_Please be Jacob, please be Jacob. _I thought to myself as I smiled warmly at Billy and rounded the corner to see the guy's face.

I was in luck. Jacob sat on the couch in grey sweats and a black t-shirt that didn't hug his muscles like I wished they did. He glanced up at me but didn't say anything. Ah, back to this, I see. Two can play at that game.

"Good afternoon, Billy. How are you feeling?" I asked, digging in my backpack for my notebook. Mrs. Gretchen advised me to write down all of Billy's moods and medication levels throughout my visits since I was doing this as a medical training experience as well. Though I couldn't actually up his doses, I was supposed to monitor them and such.

"I'm feeling wonderful, Renessss." Billy slurred. The way he said it made it sound more like Ness than Renesme and I half smiled. It was kinda cute. I would have to try and get that nickname started tomorrow at school.

I scribbled down 'slurred speach' before kneeling to his level and checking his eyes with a tiny flashlight. Some cancer patients were prone to seizures and I had to make sure that my patient wasn't having one now.

"That's bright." Billy complained stubbornly, batting away my arm lightly, and I sighed in relief.

"Sorry about that. Standard protocol." I explained, putting my light in my back pocket. "Tell me, Billy, how's your pain? On a scale of one to ten; ten being the worst level of comfort."

"Hunny, I've had cancer for years, the pain doesn't really matter anymore." He said. "I'm doing good today."

"Don't lie to her." Jacob said sternly and for the first time since I got here, I remembered he was here at all. "She's here to help you with your treatment, Dad." He directed his next sentence to me as I pulled out my notebook again. "He's been puking since I got home from work and probably earlier this morning too."

I looked over my shoulder at Jacob to thank him, but his eyes were purposefully on Billy.

Billy huffed, "I guess it'd be about an eight today." He coughed into his elbow, but tried to play it off. This man was just about as stubborn as his son was.

I scribbled this all down before I dug into my backpack again. I pulled out some orange tarts that Mrs. Gretchen said would help him with the bitter taste of the kemo. It wasn't much, but since I was mostly here to just monitor him and be a Candy Striper, it was the best I could do.

We spent the next two hours talking and laughing. Billy had so many stories to tell about his life. He really did have a healthy, full life up until the cancer spread. It sort of made me wish I had known him before all this; back when his wife Sarah had been alive and his daughters had lived here. The five of them were the perfect family, according to Billy's stories, and it made me sad that one event took all three girls out. Sarah died in a car crash ten years ago and the girls graduated a few months later and never looked back. Neither had come to visit in a long time.

I seemed to be cheering Billy up though despite all the sad stories because he didn't once need his puke bucket the remainder of the time I was there. At about six thirty, Billy started to complain about his hunger though.

Jacob was shocked that he wanted to eat anything at all so the two of us went in the kitchen to scrounge up something to make. Billy suggested breakfast and although my family had never had it as dinner, I knew how to cook practically anything so I didn't mind.

At first, Jacob didn't want me to help him and he had his teacher face on. I could tell that this was hard for him; that he had put us in our roles and was planning on keeping us that way forever.

But when he burnt his first attempt at scrambled eggs, I took over in the kitchen and he had no choice but to let me. I giggled as he whined and playfully teased me about how he was doing the manly thing by cooking all the meat instead, but I just shook my head and argued with him until all the bacon and sausage had been fried up and the eggs and French toast had been cooked.

"This looks great, Ren." Billy said when Jacob set his plate in front of him on the tv tray. "You too, son."

Jacob and I made awkward "thank you's" to Billy before grabbing our plates and joining him in the living room as well. Since there was only the chair and the couch, we both settled on the loveseat together. I crossed my legs to give myself a better table of sorts and accidently brushed Jacob's leg with my foot. He scooted away from me on contact instintively and I frowned.

We had been doing so well until now.

Jacob continued his usual behavior after that, all traces of the fun loose man in the kitchen were gone and in his place was my teacher. I swear, if I have to keep starting over every day, it might not be worth it. But I know that deep down he's feeling it too so I'll keep trying for now.


	8. Sneaky

School went by fast after that; with tutoring, Candy Striping, and Billy's house for sessions, I was swamped.

Seth helped me in Chemistry, Bella helped me in English, and I managed to keep all of my other grades up when our first progress report came out. I almost made all A's and my parents seemed to get off my back about my grades. I still had a B in Chemistry, but only because I would sometimes space out on the tests staring at Jacob. It was nothing that I couldn't correct on my next set of tests so I could get an A and get rid of my tutor.

Don't get me wrong, Seth was a great tutor, but that was time that I had to be away from Billy's house and couldn't see Jacob.

Things had been getting less awkward for Jacob over the past three weeks. Now, instead of taking hours to get him to relax around me, it only takes half an hour. Last night as I was leaving, I gave Billy a hug because he asked for one from the "pretty little lady" and Jacob allowed me to hug him as well. You might think I'm crazy, but I thought I felt him smelling my hair as we hugged briefly.

My birthday was fast approaching and I wanted it to be huge. I was inviting everyone, and I mean everyone. The entire school would be there to celebrate my eighteenth birthday party. This was going to be the biggest party since Bree Tanner's sixteenth three years ago. The police are still confused about how the tolet got on the roof, but none of the football team members would cough up so it will forever remain a mystery.

Edward didn't want such a huge specticle, but even he couldn't stop me when I wanted something. My twin would just have to deal. Besides, it wasn't like Bella wasn't going to be there. He had someone to make out with the whole party so I don't see why he was complaining.

I, on the other hand, was going to be showing up dateless to my Prom style party. That was unexcusable. I had to find someone, and fast.

I spotted Seth sitting on his front porch when I went to ask him. Usually we worked outside since Leah didn't exactly like me and it was usually better this way. I didn't mind hearing the rain when we studied, except today because I had to ask him about my party and I needed to focus on how exactly to word it so it didn't sound like an actual date.

Though he was younger and sort of a dweeb, he was still presentable. He had to have good looks under there somewhere because his sister Leah was gorgeous and both his parents were preppy attractive. Besides, dorks were in this year. Anyone with half a brain knew that.

Plus, I already knew what Seth's answer would be. Seth's crush on me was as obvious to me as my crush on Jacob was to him.

I approached Seth cautiously nonetheless. There was nothing worse than rejection; correction: there was nothing worse than rejection, other than rejection from a dork who was lucky to be having me ask in the first place.

"Hey stud." I greeted him, pulling out my notebook so I could pretend to study for our test tomorrow.

"Hey beautiful." Seth greeted back. We flirted like this everyday since he started tutoring me. It was nice to have a guy compliment me, as opposed to Jacob who only pretended to see me as his student.

"So what are you doing this weekend?" I asked when I was halfway through one of my practice problems.

Seth was waiting patiently for me to finish like he always did. He never hastled me to finish as quickly as he did because he knew that chemistry, math, or science was not my strength. Actually, since English was hard for me too, I was pretty much only good at Computers and Auto Shop this year.

"I was planning on studying for the ACT in December..." Seth said blandly. Even though he cared about his grades, I could tell that it wasn't what he wanted to be doing. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's my birthday Saturday and I'm having this big party and I'm sort of in a bind..." I said, scratching my neck nervously. "I was, uh, wondering if you, uh, wanted to accompany me?" I asked, glancing at his reaction quickly before starting to blush like crazy when his expression hadn't changed and he looked like he was about to say no.

"Um, nevermind, forget I asked." I said, shaking my head. I wasn't going to make this awkward for either of us.

"N-no, I'll do it, I just, well, I've been getting the impression that you had a crush on Mr. Black..." Seth admitted and my brown eyes found his dark ones instantly. He saw the panic in mine and started stuttering. "Um, I mean, forget I said that. That's crazy, I'm sorry, Ren." He appologized and I felt relieved yet sad at the same time.

"Is that a yes or a no for coming to my party as my date?" I asked with a light laugh.

"You mean, your boyfriend?" Seth asked, biting his bottom lip adorably.

And suddenly it clicked. This was how I was going to get my parents off my back once and for all; they said I needed to improve my grades, keep up a steady job, and socialize more. What better way than to have a boyfriend? And Seth was perfect for the role; he was smart, funny, and as an added bonus, he actually liked me.

When my dad met him, he would have no doubts that I was over Jacob. It was the perfect cover up.

"Yes." I said with a smile. "Seth Clearwater, will you be my boyfriend?"


	9. Birthday Party

On the night of my party, the weather almost ruined my night before it even began though.

It was a cool evening but that didn't stop me from insisting that we keep it a pool party like planned. I had a killer bathing suit and there was no way I was going to let the oppurtunity pass. Mom and Dad thought it was a really bad idea, especially when Ed didn't particularly like the idea either. He was always such a goodie-goodie about things like getting sick.

Edward didn't seem to mind as much as soon as Bella showed up though. She stepped instantly out of her cover up and joined me and the few guests that arrived early in the pool. It didn't take him long to join us as well. He's such a boy sometimes, but I can't complain because it was technically both of our party's.

Alice arrived first, with Jasper in tow, followed shortly by Emmett with Rose on his arm like his trophy wife. Random kids from my classes that I didn't really care about showed up next, and about half an hour into my party, Bella showed up.

Rosalie, not one to be outdone, moved from her spot laying in the fading sun, trying to catch a few last rays of the summer, and dived into the deep end of the pool. Her aqua blue eyes matched the water but that wasn't what Emmett, or any of the other guys there, was looking at. Her skimpy bikini was the same shade as her eyes and excented her height wonderfully. It almost made me wish I hadn't invited her.

I did though, because she was one of my best friends. Besides, I wanted anyone and everyone to be there in order to make it the biggest thing since toasted bread. And Rosalie Hale was definitely an "anyone."

I didn't see Seth slip in, but by time someone spiked the punch, he was by my side. He looked good, I must say. Fake boyfriend or not, Seth without a shirt was definitely not going to hurt our "relationship." The boy was buff but not overly like Emmett. Plus his skin was beautifully dark, with his perfect all over tan that the non-Native guys didn't hold a candle to.

I kissed his cheek in greeting, hoping that my friends (and everyone else at the party) would notice.

Ironically enough, we were matching. My sparkly white bikini with a green heart on one of the breasts matched his green swim trunks with white stripes down the sides. This would definitely help with our new reputation that we needed to start. Not even Alice, who planned everything, was matching with her boyfriend/fiance. That gave me a special pride even though it was a fake relationship in my mind.

"Hi there beautiful." He greeted me, not realizing that my act was for show. It didn't make me stop blushing at the comment though.

"Hey, Seth." I answered, not ready to flirt with him like I usually would when people weren't around. "So what took you so long?" I asked slightly in his ear.

"Sorry, Leah was upset about me going so she made mom let her go too." Seth said appologetically.

I glanced around in a panic. Though I wanted everyone here, Leah was not a part of that everyone. Something about the way she always seemed to hate me no matter what I did upset me.

"Your sister's here?" I asked, trying not to show anyone my unease. Most of my friends didn't know that Leah and I had our 'differences' as my mother would say, but that was because I didn't like to let on that not everyone at school liked me.

"I tried to stop her." He appologized again, dropping his voice to match my quiet tone. He sensed the secrecy in it as well.

I just shook my head, having spotted her in the crowd of party-goers. "It's no big deal." I lied, but he called my bluff.

"I know it is, but it can be our little secret." He whispered, leaning in close to do so. He placed his arms on either side of my body above the water to get closer. I couldn't help but notice how his breath smelled of peppermint and chocolate.

"Our secret, then?" I asked quietly, unaware that all of my friends' eyes were on us.

"Our secret." He replied, his face lighting up in a heartwarming smile.

"Clearwater!" I heard a voice yell and suddenly our little moment was gone. I snapped back to reality and looked around for who called Seth.

What I found was my brother's angry face glaring at us.

"Get away from my sister, Clearwater." Ed growled, holding Bella behind him protectively like I knew he would do to me once he reached our side of the pool.

"Calm down, Edward." I said rationally. Seth looked like he was about to pee his pants though, so I had to act fast. In my briliant planning, I forgot to mention to my brother that Seth was my new boyfriend and my date for the party. "Seth is my boyfriend."

That caught him off guard, and he slowed in the water. Bella smiled at the two of us, having heard about our "relationship" the night that I asked him out so I could activate my plan fully.

"Oh my gosh, that is sooo cute!" Alice said in a tinkling voice. Jasper nodded his congratulations, not being a man of many words. Emmett high fived Seth who awkwardly accepted. Rose was the only one who seemed to not really care about the news. She was staring at her expression in the pool's reflection, but I knew that once she realized this was hot gossip she'd pay attention.

"I never thought you'd get together with Clearwater." Emmett commented, then looked at Seth half-appologetically. "Sorry, bro, you just aren't the typical football player that a Mason daughter would date."

"Well, I don't want to date a football player." I said honestly. I didn't. My eyes were still set on my teacher, Seth just happened to be his stand in until Jacob realized how perfect I was for him. "Seth is just what I'm looking for." Minus being Jacob, of course.

"Cake time!" Dad yelled from inside the house and all of my party guests scrambled out of the pool. I was the last to get in the kitchen, other than Seth of course who opened the door for me, and the two of us took our spot next to Edward and Bella for blowing out the candles and cutting of the cake. Seth kept his hands chastely on my hips, drawing attention to us like I wasn't expecting.

"Are they together?" "Ren and Seth?" "Kinda cute for a dork..." "That is no dork... *giggles*" and other things were said after Ed and I blew out the candles.

And like that, Seth and I became the hottest new couple on campus.


	10. Sweet Seth

Stepping out of the passanger side of Ed's car, I was greeted by an unexpected sight. Seth was leaning against Leah's beat up green Escord with a grin on his lips.

"Morning, Beautiful." He greeted me, pushing himself off of the car and making his way towards mine.

"Good morning." I said back, heat rising to my cheeks. I glanced at my brother, hoping he'd get the hint and leave.

Edward eyed Seth for a few seconds before turning and heading to find Bella. I was glad that Ed was on my side and didn't want to punch Seth for dating me like a normal older brother would; but twins were special cases so I guess that's why.

I reached for Seth's hand, fulling intending to go all out with our Public Displays of Affection, but Seth half winced. "Sorry," he appologized. "Your hands are cold."

I laughed lightly. I had forgotten my gloves this morning and although it was still October, it felt a lot later. The cold rainy weather of Washington didn't help either.

I went to withdraw my hand from his, but he held it slightly tight. "I don't mind the cold." He said adorably. "Maybe I can warm them up."

I couldn't help but grin back at him. I really had picked the perfect person to be my stand in boyfriend. But I guess I picked too good of one because if I wasn't careful, I would end up falling for someone as great as Seth.

"I'd like that." I said honestly, and we continued on our way to Chemistry in almost silence. The only noise we made was the sound of our boots crunching on the fallen leaves.

"Thanks for walking me to my class." I said to Seth when we arrived in front of Room 4, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

We weren't that far into our fake, on my part, relationship, but I knew that people seeing us kiss was going to help our reputation. Especially when it wasn't obnoxious making out like the other hot couples, like Rose and Emmett, did.

Our chasteness would help keep us at the top of the social pyramid, not that Seth cared. He only was going out with me because he liked me and I was using him to make Jacob jealous. I really wished I could stop because I feel like a terrible person, but once I get an idea in my head, I can't get it out.

"This is my class too." Seth said with a blush. "But I'm happy to walk you to all of your classes." I knew that he meant it too. He was sweet like that.

I glanced in the classroom, hoping that Jacob had not seen our little display, but his warm brown eyes were locked on mine. He turned away when I caught him staring though and he busied himself with shuffling his papers on his desk. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

It was even worse when I was at his house taking care of Billy.

For the first half hour of my visit, he would sit in the corner and pretend to be watching tv or be cleaning the already spotless house in case Billy decided to eat off the kitchen floor or something else as insanely crazy as that. It was quite rediculas, if you ask me. He liked to pretend I wasn't there, but the whole while I could see him looking at me out of the corner of his eyes.

Then Billy would somehow break the tension in his son and the three of us could have a lot of fun and meaningful conversations that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I loved that time with him because it opened up new levels of him that I didn't know.

Like, he hated vegetables and was basically a complete carnivore since he only ate meats unless there was company over or Billy was in need of softer foods.

Or the fact that Jacob was afraid of the dark until he turned fifteen and he shot up like a rocket and his dad told him that he was big enough to scare away any danger in the night.

But towards the end of my visits, Jacob would suddenly decide that he was going to be an unsocial butterfly again and curl back into his cocoon for the night. I hated that most of all. His withdrawling from me after he loosened up and acted like we weren't teacher and student or that the connection I know he feels with me (because I feel it too) isn't a hundred kinds of wrong.

We took our seats, holding hands on the way, and I blushed when Seth pulled out my chair for me.

He was a gentleman, even at school. That was so rare in high school. And I knew he wasn't trying to get in my pants like some other boys who acted sincere; no, Seth was the real deal.

I just wish I could like him honestly instead of trying to get someone else's attention. He deserved so much better than me, and I knew he would fine his perfect girl someday. The universe owed him that much.

"Okay, class, today we're going to play a review game for the test on Friday..." Jacob said.

I felt someone's eyes on me, the hairs on my neck prickling, and I turned around to see who it was. Of course, it was Leah. She was glaring at me from her dark brown eyes that looked almost black with hate. I gulped, feeling like she could see through my intentions with her brother and I quickly turned around in my seat.


	11. Lies, Lies, and More Lies

"So you and Mr. Clearwater seem to be getting along nicely." Jacob said politely to me as Billy swallowed his pills.

"Yeah." I said defensively. "Seth is a great guy."

"So you snagged yourself a man, congrats Nessie." Billy said, taking a sip of his water. They were the only ones who called me Nessie, even though I had tried to get it started at school. Nope, I would forever be Rennie to them.

"Thank you, sir." I said.

"None of that 'sir' crap." Billy said with a grin. "Makes me feel old." Even with cancer, the man still made more jokes than anyone I knew.

"Who would ever call you old?" I teased.

"I have no idea." Billy teased back. "Must be those young folks down at your school." He winked. "So tell me about this boyfriend of yours." Billy said, prying as usual. But I didn't mind because it was Billy. Anyone else and I would have told them to shove off.

"Well, his name is Seth Clearwater, he's a year younger than me but really smart and mature for his age," I glanced at Jacob who didn't seem to be paying any attention even though I knew he was. "And he's simply wonderful. A _real _man."

Billy smiled at me before giving his son a strange look."It's about time you found someone who could make you happy. He _does_ make you happy, doesn't he?" He asked curiously, almost like my father.

"Yes." I said, trying not to blush.

Even though I was in love with Jacob, I couldn't stop the butterflies whenever I talked about Seth. We had been dating for a month now, and although we saw each other at school, we had yet to have our first date which surprisingly upset me. I didn't think that I would be upset about that since it was supposed to be a fake relationship. I couldn't help but feel disappointed in our lack of progress.

"Well that's good then." Billy said. "I'll have to meet this boy to see if I approve or not."

"Of course, Billy." I said, not fully intending to ever bring Seth over. I wasn't sure I wanted my boyfriend knowing I worked at my teacher's house on a regular basis, even if it was to help a sick old man with cancer. When I first asked Seth out, he told me he thought I had a crush on Mr. Black (and he was right); if he was that observant back then, how much more would he be now with the evidence in front of him.

He turned to his son with a quizzical expression. "Now, how do you know this boy?"

I could literally see Jacob gulping, his Adam's apple plunging out dramatically. He looked at me for help, pure panic in his eyes. How was he supposed to tell his father that he was allowing one of his students to be Billy's in-care medical person when we both lied the moment we recognized each other in the hospital? It was too late to go back on that, so we were complete strangers that were becoming friends, sort of.

But how to explain Jacob knowing Seth?

Then the idea struck me. I was brilliant in tight situations like these where I have to make up a lie on the spur of the moment and make it believable; and this one was no different.

"Actually, we ran into Jacob at the movies the other day." I said, happy about my excuse until I saw the look on both guys' faces. Jacob looked like he was about to choke and Billy looked extremely confused.

"When did my boy ever go to the movies?" Billy asked with a half-laugh. "He lives at his job or is here taking care of me."

"I did, Dad, you just were already asleep so I didn't want to wake you." Jacob lied to the best of his ability. God bless him, he tried, but the boy couldn't lie his way out of a speeding ticket, let alone lie to his sick father.

"Yeah, it was a midnight movie." I added, trying to add plausibility to the now reticules story.

"There was some dumb plot involving vampires and a girl who needed to be saved the _entire _movie which got a little redundant, but it was pretty good. It has my vote." I said, smiling at Billy with my eyes. Seth said that I could be a model since everything about me spoke to people on a personal level, but I doubted that. I just wanted Billy to believe my crazy story.

"Alright." Billy said, not totally convinced, but that was alright because he wasn't asking questions anymore.

I gave Jacob a small reassuring smile but he hardly looked in my direction. Now what was his problem?


	12. Emotional Nessie

"Well, I think I'm tuckered out." Billy said, glancing once at me and then at his son. Our last conversation had left everyone tense and we had sat in silence for most of the night after that. Now it was almost eleven, my usual time to leave, and Billy was taking notice as well.

"I'm gonna hit the hay. Goodnight Ren," he said to me with a warm smile.

"Son, make sure this little lady gets to her car alright, okay?" He said to Jacob, giving his son a strange look again.

Jacob only nodded in response and helped his father into his room.

Ten minutes later, Jacob returned and went to the front door. I guess I was supposed to be following him, but I was preoccupied with my own thoughts. He stood at the door for a minute before he came back into the living room and cleared his throat.

"You have to leave now." He said, being careful not to look directly at me. Instead, he stared at the messy coffee table that was littered with the remains of our dinner.

"Not until we talk." I said stubbornly.

"We have nothing to talk about." He said, avoiding my gaze as best he could.

"Why do you keep ignoring me?" I asked Jacob. Though I was supposed to be heading home by now, I knew that we had to get things out in the open.

"I'm not ignoring you." He replied as he picked up our glasses from dinner. We had made spaghetti but Jacob had held no interest in our usual banter while we cooked for Billy.

"Yes you are." I said angrily, shoving his arm dramatically to get his attention. He just pushed me back and continued on his way. "You're doing it now." I growled.

"I'm not ignoring you." He said again. "I just have stuff to do. Why don't you head home already?"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's bugging you." I said demanding.

"Nothing is bugging me." Jacob said, turning his back to me and heading into the kitchen.

"You're lying through you teeth and I know it Jacob Black." I said angrily.

"Don't call me that." He said in a strange tone. "It's Mr. Black, your teacher, remember?"

"_You _were the one who told me that Jacob was your name. The first time we met, remember?" I asked him back. There was a faraway look in his eyes for a moment but then he shook his head. "Don't try and act like I'm the bad guy now, _Mr. Black_." I said snidefully.

"Go home, call your boyfriend, and be ready for the test tomorrow." He said, trying to sound distant but I could hear the anger in his voice.

"Is that what this is about?" I asked in disbelief. "You're jealous that I have a _boyfriend_? Even though you know how I feel about _you_."

"Nessie, you're my student and Billy's nurse of sorts, it is none of my business who you date or not." Jacob said, rinsing out the dishes in the sink and hand drying them with a small blue towel.

"See? That's what you do! You say you're my teacher, then you call me Nessie." I said, trying not to let him see my tears. "It's confusing me, Jacob."

"You can't do this, Ness." Jacob said, backing even further away from me than he already was.

"Do what?" I asked, edging my way closer to him. By now, he was cornered against the sink and had no way out of my wrath.

"Keep calling me Jacob." He said, trying his best not to look me in the eyes. He failed miserably, and soon we were locked in the staring contest of our lives; his warm brown eyes were literally seeing into my soul as he held my gaze. He looked thoughtful and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "We can't do this, Ness. You know it and I know it, so why don't we stop this before you get it in your head that this can happen."

"It's too late for that." I said dramatically. "I am in love with you Jacob."

"Don't say that. You don't mean it." He said, his eyes still locked on to mine. "You can't love me, Ness, I'm your teacher."

"Will you quit saying that!" I said, my last straw finally snapping.

"But..." He started to say, but I cut him off.

"No, you don't get to talk yet." I said, anger still fuming with every word. "This is my turn. I've already made a fool out of myself, now let me finish so you can mock me fully later."

"I would ne-" He tried to apologize but I cut him off again.

"That sounds like you're talking." I said angrily, covering his mouth with one of my hands. The close contact made my face flush despite my anger, but I had a point to make so I continued. "My turn." I said with a little less anger than before. Something about being this close to him sent shivers down my spine and turned my brain into jelly.

He looked at me, as if saying 'okay, you can talk then,' so I continued.

"From the first moment I met you, I knew you were the one." I said without a hint of an apology. "Then you turned out to be my teacher and things got weird for you. But don't you see? I. Don't. Care." I said, enfisizing my point with each soft spoken word. I pulled my hand away from his mouth and placed it in his hair instead. Just like I predicted for the past few months, it felt wonderfully soft and perfect to the touch.

"Ness..." He said, sounding pained as he leaned his head into my hands.

"Lie all you want, but I _know_ you feel this too." I said, using my free hand to gesture to the two of us. "So why don't you give up this stupid game and just be with me like I know you want to?"

"I...I can't." He said, struggling with himself as he used his own hands to untangle mine from his hair and place them at my side. I held firm to his hand though and wouldn't let it go. I intertwined our fingers together and waited for him to squeeze my fingers to force us apart.

It never came though, and instead, he brought our combined hands to his lips and carefully kissed the back of my palm sweetly.

"You're going to be the death of me." He whispered, pulling me into a hug and resting his chin on the top of my curls.

"So this means you're in?" I asked, needing to hear him say it himself.

"I'm all in." Jacob whispered back.

I tilted my head upwards to stare into his beautiful eyes and was caught off guard when I felt something warm and soft against my lips. My eyes fluttered closed in response to Jacob's kiss and before I knew it, my hands were twisted back into his hair and his hands dropped to my waist. We kissed fiercely until I ran out of oxygen and Jacob was panting heavily.

The sound of his heart in overdrive was like the sweetest sympony I had ever heard.

"I'm sorry I missed your birthday." Jacob said, tucking a piece of my bronze hair behind my ear as my breathing tried to right itself.

"It-it's okay." I said, my brain complete mush at this point.

He chuckled in response and bent down to kiss his lips to mine once more. This time it was sweet and innocent intead of like our intensely passionate first kiss. "I got you a present." Jacob said into my ear.

I squealed in response, partly because he got me a birthday present and half because he was whispering in my ear adoringly.

"Give me, give me, give me." I said excitedly.

"Nope," he said teasingly, "You have to wait until tomorrow."

"That's not fair." I said, curling my lips into a pout.

His finger brushed against my lips briefly before he laid his head back on top of mine again. "When I give you you're gift, I want it to be special."

"I guess I can wait then." I said, smiling against his chest and inhaling his scent in the process.

"I'd also like for you to not belong to someone else when you got it too." He said possessively and that made me grin even more.

"You know why I asked Seth out, don't you?" I asked him. I could feel him shaking his head as most of his body shook with it. "To make you realize just how much you wanted me for yourself." I said with a giggle.

"Well it worked." He said with a half growl. "I almost went insane with jealousy, you know."

"That was the point." I said, smiling up at him.

Now all I had to do was break things off with Seth; I just hoped he wouldn't be too crushed since he had become a great friend in the process of him being my fake boyfriend.


	13. Soul Mate

"Seth, we need to talk." I said as soon as his car pulled up next to mine.

Edward had already run off in search of Bella, and Leah got out of the driver's seat as soon as she saw I was waiting for her brother. She was about to hate me even more in a few minutes.

"Sure, beautiful, what is it?" Seth asked, pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my forehead. We still we in the chaste stage of our relationship since it was about to end anyways and I didn't want to hurt him by taking our relationship further. "You know you can tell me anything."

"You're not going to like it..." I said, willing myself not to cry. This was going to be hard on me even though I had already gotten the guy of my dreams, Seth was still a really great guy and I hated to even think about hurting him.

"You're breaking up with me?" He asked, but it sounded less like a question and more like a solid statement.

"I'm so sorry, Seth." I said, pulling out of his hug as gently as I could.

"At least give me this one thing." He said, his eyes focused on mine intensely.

"Yes, of course, anything." I said, glad he wasn't throwing a bigger fit. Most boys didn't like it when a girl broke up with them because they were supposed to be the heart-breakers not the heartbroken. I think it has something to do with all that testosterone in their systems or something.

"Kiss me." Seth said, startling me. That was the last thing I expected him to say.

"Wh-what?" I asked, not sure if I heard him correctly or not.

"I want you to kiss me so I can always remember you." Seth said with a pained smile. "Please, just let me have a first kiss."

Oh, god. I was a monster.

"You really want me to be your first real kiss?" I asked. "Even though we're breaking up?"

Seth nodded, his dark eyes reminding me of someone else's and I had to force myself to keep looking at them.

"I love you, Ren." He said quietly. "Us breaking up won't change that. I always knew that there was someone else on your mind when we were hanging out, I just didn't press you because I figured that the more you got to know me, the less you would think about him. But now it's clear that he won, so I just want you to do me this one favor, please?"

Yup, no doubt about it, I was a monster. Seth fell in love with me when I was only using him and now he had a broken heart. How could I have been so stupid to think otherwise?

"Yeah, okay." I said, not sure what else to say. I owed him this much. Besides, Jacob would understand.

I leaned forward, letting Seth place his hands around my waist, as I gently touched my lips to his. I wrapped my arms around his neck so it wasn't as awkward with our height difference. He kissed back softly, his lips moving with mine gently as he experienced his first kiss. It was like nothing I had ever experienced either. With Jacob, and the three guys before him, they had been rough and passionate and I thought I liked it, but this with Seth was mind blowing. I didn't know how I was going to let him go after this, but I knew I had to; for Jacob.

"Wow." was all I could say when we pulled apart.

"It's not enough though, is it?" Seth asked, looking like a kicked puppy as he saw the answer in my eyes.

"He's my soul mate." I answered truthfully.

Seth nodded, glancing around the now empty parking lot. "Well, we'd better get to class before Mr. Black gives us detention."

I nodded, knowing full well that Jacob wouldn't give either of us detention, but I followed along behind Seth anyways.

I thought that things would be awkward with us now that I had pretty much thrown his heart in a blender and then drank it, but surprisingly there was no tension. We seemed to be okay and somehow we went back to our normal best friends mentality, just adding in a little harmless flirting. That last part was only natural though, especially after that intense kiss a few minutes prior.

Jacob watched us like a hawk during Chemistry but he relaxed after a minute of staring at us. He saw that there was nothing serious going on, only two friends enjoying each other's company. Not to mention the fact that I signalled to Jacob while Seth was distracted with the lab assignment that I was no longer in a relationship with Seth. A brilliant smile lit his face and I knew that things were only going to get better from here on out.

After that, the rest of the day flew by and before I knew it, I was at Billy's house and the old man was asleep.

Jacob and I were sitting on the couch, neither of us doing anything but staring at the other when I started to get impatient.

"Where's my present?" I asked with a smile that he returned. "I kept up with my end of the deal, so show me what you got me."

"I want a kiss first." Jacob said, echoing Seth's words from earlier, but this time there was possession in the words instead of a request. "My girlfriend has yet to kiss me tonight and, frankly, I'm hurt." Jacob teased, but I was so caught up on the 'girlfriend' part that I completely didn't care about the rest.

"Present first." I said stubbornly, knowing he was going to listen to me.

"Fine." He huffed, getting up from our spot on the couch and disappearing into the back part of the house. He returned a minute later with a small, wrapped box.

I held out my hands for it and he gently placed it in my awaiting hands. I smiled at him as he joined me on the couch again and wrapped his arms around me. This was so much better than him ignoring me like he usually did.

Now I know why he did that in the first place and it made me feel better; he felt our connection the first time we met but was protecting his job and my reputation (not to mention the fact that I was seventeen and he was twenty-two all those months ago).

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Jacob asked curiously.

I nodded, but kept my hands still under the box. I tilted my head in his direction instead of tearing the paper to shreds like I wanted to. "But first..." I said and moved closer to him until our lips were centimeters apart. "a kiss..." I said, closing the distance and capturing his lips with mine.

We kissed until our oxygen levels were nearly depleated and both of our hair was a mess from the intenseness of the passion we shared. This felt too right to be wrong and I knew that I was going to spend forever here in his arms. He was my destiny.

"Open your present, please." Jacob asked, almost panting from our make-out session. "You might have turned eighteen, but that doesn't mean you're ready to take the next step yet, so please, open your present before I do something we'll both regret."

I highly doubted I would regret taking our relationship further, but I complied nonetheless. I would wait for Jacob like I knew he thought he was waiting for me because that's what you do for the person you love.

"Oh, Jacob, it's beautiful..." I said, admiring the locket that I knew I would never take off.

It was silver and shaped like a heart and engraved in the most beautiful cursive on the front was simply two little words, but it made tears well in my eyes. It was perfect, yet simple, and meant so much to me. 'My Ness.'

"Look on the inside." Jacob said in my ear and I jumped slightly, startled.

I opened the locket and inside was a warn picture of Jacob smiling and on the other side was 'RM & JB 4EVER' engraved into the second picture slot.

"We'll put our picture there soon, I promise." Jacob said, but I shook my head.

"No, I won't cover it. It means more this way." I said. And it did; Renesme Mason and Jacob Black were going to be together forever, I just knew it...and apparently so did he.

* * *

**AN: And there's the happy, cliche ending everyone was expecting. Thank you for following my story. There's not much else to tell except more of Jake and Nessie being insanely happy and quite frankly, I'm in no mood right now to right it. Thanks so much for all the reviews and sorry if this ended too quickly for any of you but the tale has been told :)**


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